Maldivian food - the five dishes you need to know

Maldivian food is the most delicious cuisine you've never heard of, and 9Kitchen walks you though five of the best dishes.

Recently, we were lucky enough to visit the newly refurbished Lux South Ari Atoll resort in, yep, the Maldives (don’t hate us), and now that budget airline Scoot have started flying there via Singapore, it’s much easier to get to this real-life paradise than was previously the case. As a result, up until now we didn't know much about the Maldives, but as a knock on, it's still an untapped paradise. And we mean paradise: from the impossibly crystal-clear waters of the Indian Ocean, to the endless Island Mojitos (a Mojito with added freshly squeezed coconut cream). But what we want to talk about is the food, because we think it's something everyone should know about. Maldivian food doesn’t have much of a reputation in Australia, and that needs to change, because it is fresh, light, full of spice and clarity, and totally befitting of a warmer climate like ours. So thanks to a cooking course taught by resident sous chef and native Maldivian, Haneef Mohammed, we found out how to make some of these incredible dishes, with recipes that were easy and unfathomably rewarding. Try them for your next quick-fire weeknight dinner, or make an array of them for a dinner party your friends will be banging on about for years – just add rice. Here are our top five dishes to try:

Bis keemiya (samosa)

Imagine a curry puff had a ménage a trois with a samosa and a spring roll, and you’re halfway to what a bis keemiya is. Stuffed with gently sautéed, shredded cabbage, hardboiled eggs and spiced onions, the pastry is light and flaky, and delightfully chewy. They’re also way too easy to make for something this tasty. New party snack anyone? Try this recipe and you'll see why they're an impressive and easy treat.

Bis keemiya, image: Freya Herring

Boshi mashuni (banana flower salad)

Somewhere between a salad and a salsa, boshi mashuni is a blend of shredded, blanched (but still crunchy) banana flowers, fresh coconut and spices. It’s zingy with lime, hot with onion and Maldivian chilli (you can of course use regular chillies, just make sure they’re hot ones like bird’s eyes), with a savoury background thanks to curry leaves, turmeric and cumin. Find the recipe here and be blown away by the fact that it’s also pretty much a health food, which frankly feels irrelevant with something this gorgeous to eat.

Boshi mashuni, image: Freya Herring

Garudhiya (fragrant fish soup)

If you’re a fan of miso or dashi, then you definitely need to give this recipe a go. It’s a traditional Maldivian fish soup spiked with spices and citrus. Fresh tuna is the primary component, providing that all-important umami flavour to the soup. Cubes of fish are cooked up with water and curry leaves, onion, garlic and chilli, and then the whole lot is seasoned with crunchy fried onions and a spritz of lime. It’s ridiculously simple, but somehow manages to be both the perfect winter-warmer and clean, fresh soup for summer. How? Maldivian magic, and you'll find it in this recipe here.

Garudhiya, image: Lux South Ari Atoll

Huni roshi (chapati bread)

Given its close proximity to Sri Lanka, where pol roti is a staple, it makes sense that the Maldives would have its own version of coconut bread. Huni roshi are flatbreads flecked with coconut which are fried until crisp on the outside and soft and chewy within (if you’re lucky they’ll even puff up like a pitta when you fry them). The coconut lends both texture and gentle flavour. Serve these (find the recipe here) alongside all of the above.

Huni roshi, image: Freya Herring

Saagu bondibai (sago pudding)

When was the last time you had sago? The 1940s? Same here. But in the Maldives, these little starchy spheres are a major component of people’s diets, derived as they are from the spongy cores of tropical palm stems. As soon as you try saagu bondibai, you’ll see why sago is still so popular in Maldivian households. Warmed with coconut milk, cardamom and rose, and laced with creamy condensed milk, it’s the kind of dessert you could drink by the bucket-load if only that wasn’t a hideous thing to do (we won’t tell anyone if you won’t). Try it for yourself with this recipe here, and you'll see what we mean.

Saagu bondibai, image: Lux South Ari Atholl

Note: Freya Herring 9Kitchen experienced Lux South Ari Atoll as a guest of the resort.